Texas abortion showdown continues

By Natalia Perez and Josh Rubin, CNN

Updated 1:51 PM ET, Wed July 3, 2013

Photos: Controversial Texas abortion bill 28 photos

Controversial Texas abortion bill – State troopers look on as a group in Austin, Texas, protests a new state abortion law in July. Parts of the law were ruled unconstitutional on Monday, October 28 -- a day before they were scheduled to take effect.

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Photos: Controversial Texas abortion bill 28 photos

Controversial Texas abortion bill – Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus strikes the gavel after a provisional vote on the abortion measure passed July 9. A lawsuit, filed by Planned Parenthood on behalf of more than a dozen women's health care providers across Texas, alleged that the new abortion limits violate the constitutional rights of women and put unreasonable demands on doctors who perform abortions.

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Photos: Controversial Texas abortion bill 28 photos

Controversial Texas abortion bill – Supporters of the abortion limits react in the gallery of the Texas House after the measure was provisionally approved July 9. The measure seeks to ban abortions past 20 weeks of gestation, mandate abortion clinics to become ambulatory surgical centers, and tighten usage guidelines for the drug RU486. It would also require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic where they're providing abortion services.

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Photos: Controversial Texas abortion bill 28 photos

Controversial Texas abortion bill – Opponents of the abortion bill yell outside the Texas House after the bill is provisionally approved.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg, sponsor of the bill, leaves the Texas House floor after the bill passed in July.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – Anti-abortion activists take part in a rosary procession around the state Capitol as the House debates the bill in July.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – State Sen. Wendy Davis speaks at a news conference outside the state Capitol as the Texas House prepares to begin debate on the bill in July. In late June, Davis blocked the bill with a filibuster, talking for more than 10 hours and running out the clock on the regular legislative session.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – Supporters of the bill listen to speakers July 8 at a rally organized by the Texas Right to Life Organization.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – Abortion rights activists march from the Texas Capitol on July 8.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – Members of the public line up July 8 for an opportunity to speak at a Senate hearing on the proposed bill.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – Republican Sen. Bob Deuell set two pairs of infant shoes on the counter while speaking at a Senate hearing July 8.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – Anti-abortion protesters gather on the ground floor of the state Capitol as abortion rights protesters gather on the balcony of the outdoor rotunda July 8.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – Abortion rights activists react as an anti-abortion group prays below them during the July 8 Senate hearing.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – Opponents of the abortion bill walk in circles around supporters of the bill as a committee holds hearings at the state Capitol on July 2.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – A man blows a horn as supporters and opponents of an abortion bill gather near a hearing for the bill on July 2.

Controversial Texas abortion bill – Opponents of an abortion bill yell outside a hearing on the bill July 2.

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Controversial Texas abortion bill – Protesters gather in the gallery of the Senate chamber on July 1.

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Story highlights

Groups from both sides of the abortion debate crowd the Texas capitol

Almost 2,000 people sign up to speak at a House committee hearing

The bill would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy

It passes a committee with an 8-3 vote; the Senate is looking at its own version

The battle over Texas' attempts to change its law on abortion ran well into the night at the state capitol in Austin, with thousands milling around, all wanting to be heard during a public hearing.

People representing both sides of the issue signed up to testify Tuesday at a House committee meeting on HB2, a bill that would impose strict new regulations on abortions in the state.

The measure seeks to ban abortions past 20 weeks of gestation, mandate abortion clinics to become ambulatory surgical centers, and require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic at which they're providing abortion services.

Critics said the measure would shut down most abortion clinics in Texas, denying access to many, while proponents say it will raise the standard of care for women in Texas.

It was a heated night and middle ground was hard to come by. Anti-abortion activists, all wearing blue shirts, joined together in shared prayer, telling stories of how abortions destroy lives.

"In 1979 I paid a registered physician $300 to kill my second child. I hated myself it almost destroyed me," Susan Collins said.

Nearby, abortion rights activists, dressed in orange, tried to drown out their opponents with drumming, cheering, and chanting slogans about personal liberty. The opinions of many were summed up by a young woman who yelled, "I'm (expletive) tired of men trying to tell me what I can and cannot do with my body!"

The initial House bill failed last week after a day and night of drama in which state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, talked for more than 10 hours in an attempt to run out the clock on the legislative session.

But Gov. Rick Perry called a special session so the legislature could take up the measure again.

Almost 2,000 people signed up to speak for three minutes, but by the end of the night, fewer than 100 were able to share their thoughts with the committee.

Registered nurse Vivian Femmy, who works at a pregnancy crisis center, said she supports the measure.

"I have been there on the front lines with the woman we are talking about today," she said. "I am pro-choice, and I am pro-woman. I am pro-woman getting the kind of abortion care that is the finest care she can get. I support this bill because of what it will do to improve medical standards."

Elizabeth Grune arrived at the capitol at 8 a.m. and finally got her chance to speak at 6:45 p.m.

"Christians, we need the separation of church and state," she said. "I don't believe in abortion but it is legal and as such all women deserve equal access."

The room used by the House committee filled almost immediately, and most people watched the proceedings in nine other rooms.

One man who had been waiting to speak against the bill for hours angrily stormed out of the committee room when testimony was closed.

"My grandmother died from a back alley abortion!" he shouted. Many abortions rights activists fear the legislation would restrict access to safe abortions and make women turn to more dangerous methods.

Outside of the hearing room in an outdoor courtyard, it was prayer circles versus drum circles for more than eight hours.

At the end of the night, with more than 1,000 people still waiting to testify, the bill cleared the committee with an 8-3 vote.

The Texas Senate must now vote on the version of the bill in one of its committees before both bills can be brought to the full House and Senate floors.